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<br />SECTIONIl
<br />STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION
<br />
<br />McCLELLANDS BASIN
<br />
<br />Bordering the Mgil Creek Basin on the north, the McClellands Basin shares
<br />w1th Mail Creek similarities of 19nd use, topography, soils and mgnmade features
<br />whiCh affect drainage. Upstream of Timberline ROgd, the bgsin is long gnd narrow
<br />in shape. It is 2,37 miles in length and 6,400 feet wide at its broadest point,
<br />It drains 1.75 squaremiJes more or less. The basin originates at an elevation
<br />of 5,025 feet above MSL and falls 89 feet to an elevation of 4,936 feet above MSL
<br />at Timberline Road.
<br />
<br />On the southern boundary of Fort Collins, Colorado, the adjacent Mail
<br />Creek and McC1e11ands Drainage Basins originate in Section 34, 35, and 36, Town-
<br />ship 7 North, Range 69 West, and drain to the southeast through Section 1, Town~
<br />ship 6 North, Range 69 West gnd Section 6, Township 6 North, Range 68 West.
<br />Mail Creek is a tributary to FOSSil Creek; McC1ellands is also a tributary to
<br />Fossil Creek, but this study does not include tributary areas of the McC1e11ands
<br />Basin east of Timberline Road. Development in the uplands of the basins has
<br />changed the drainage patterns in the basins in recent years. To assess the im~
<br />pacts of these changes, three (3) basin conditions have been examined. These
<br />are described in the following paragraphs gnd illustrated on Figures 11-1, II~2
<br />and II~3 (located in the rear pocket).
<br />MAIL CREEK 8ASIN
<br />
<br />The historic McClellands Basin (seeFigurelI-1,in back pocket) drained
<br />app~oximately 1,117 acres west of Timer1ine Road. land uses were predominately
<br />agrlculturaI. West of College Avenue, there are few places where there is a dis-
<br />tinct drainage channel. The basin is intersected by the Pleasant Valley gnd Lake
<br />gnd the New Mercer Irrigation Canals, which were built in the late 1800's and
<br />carry approximately 30 cfs gnd 80 cfs respectively in the vicinity of Harmony
<br />ROgd. There are no wastewgys or spill structures in McCle11ands, so it is highly
<br />probable that most storm runoff originating upstream of these canals was diverted
<br />to Mail Creek since the construction of the canals.
<br />
<br />The historic Mail Creek Basin is long and narrow in shape. It is appro.
<br />ximately 3.57 miles in length and 7,200 feet wide at its broadest point; it
<br />drains 2.47 square miles more or less. Originating gt an elevation of 5,185
<br />feet above mean sealevel (MSL1,MailCreekfalls291feettoane1evationof
<br />4,894 feet above MSL at the confluence with Fossil Creek. The historic Mail
<br />Creek 8asin and subbasins are shown on Figure 1I~ 1 (locgted in the rear pocket).
<br />Mail Creek has long been used to transport irriggtionwaters. The Plea-
<br />sant Vglley gnd Lake Canal traverses the upper area of the Mail Creek Basin and
<br />Mail Creek receives wgste irrigation water from the laterals in this area. Fur~
<br />ther downstream, the New Mercer Cgna1 gnd Larimer County Cgnal No.2 Waste DitCh
<br />discharge directly into Mall Creek. Irrigation water flows in Mail Creek and
<br />is either div~rt€d out of the creek at the Man Creek ditch headgate or ~ontim.:es
<br />to flow downstream to Fossil Creek and eventually to Fossil CreekN:!servoir.
<br />Other mgnrnade features directly affecting the drainage characteristics of
<br />Mail Creek are the Colorado & Southern Railroad, College Avenue, Ha~ny Road.
<br />and two (2) private on-stream lakes in Larimer County.
<br />Approximately 1,195 acres of the existing Mail Creek 8asin are in the City
<br />of Fort Collins, north of Harmony Road. Drainage patterns in the basin have been
<br />gffected in recent years principally by development occurring in the City. Essen-
<br />tid.i1y, u€v.,loplllent Ilf pn".lous1y agricultural 1and in Section 35 hos di'/~rted
<br />runoff from the uplgnds of the McClel1ands 8asin to Mall Creek via the New Mercer
<br />Canal, and new storm sewer.
<br />
<br />The McClel1ands Drainage 8asin has been experiencing steady development in
<br />recent years in the subbasins north of Harmony Road in the City of Fort Collins.
<br />Most of the development has been done in accordance with the drainage criteria of
<br />Fort Collins, gnd considerable on-site detention is being cregted. Development
<br />is forthcoming in the section south of Harmony Road, portions of which have been
<br />annexed into the City, however, existing land uses in the lowerre aches are still
<br />ggricultura1.
<br />
<br />Manmade features affecting drainage patterns in the McCle11ands Basin are
<br />the Union Pacific and ColoradO & Southern Railroads, College Avenue, Harmony
<br />Road and the Larimer County No.2 and New Mercer Canals. The existing and future
<br />~cClel1ands Sasi:'! are illustrated in Fig~res rr.2 and 1!+3 (back pocket).
<br />
<br />Mail Creekregches inc1uded in this study begin at the confluence with
<br />Fossil Creek and extend approximately 3.3 miles upstream to the center of Sec-
<br />tion34. For analysis, study reaches (Figure 11-4) were broken out into the
<br />following homogeneous segments:
<br />Reach lA Mail Creek from confluence with Fossi] Creek to Mail
<br />Cree~ Lane.
<br />Mgil Creek Lane to Palmer Drive.
<br />Palmer Drive to U.S. 287 (College Avenue).
<br />U.S. 287 to C & S Railroad.
<br />C & S Railroad to Shields Street.
<br />Shields Street to upstream study limits.
<br />New Mercer Canal between Mail Creek and McCle11ands
<br />tributary.
<br />McC1ellands
<br />of Section
<br />McC1el1ands
<br />Street.
<br />McC1e11ands tributary from ShieldS Street to upstregm
<br />study limits.
<br />
<br />Regch1B
<br />Reach1C
<br />ReachlD
<br />Reach2A
<br />Reach 28
<br />Reach 3
<br />
<br />The lower portlons of the Mail Creek Basin in Larimer County are also
<br />being developed. Land use patterns arelowdens1ty residential and agricultural.
<br />The increased area of the Mail Creek Basin and existing and future drainage pat-
<br />terns are shown in Figures 11-2 and II-3(located in the back pocket).
<br />
<br />Reach 4A
<br />
<br />ReaCh 48
<br />
<br />Reach 5
<br />
<br />11-1
<br />
<br />MAIL CREEK STUDY REACHES
<br />
<br />tributary
<br />34.
<br />tributary
<br />
<br />from New Mercer Canal to center
<br />
<br />from center of Section 34 to ShieldS
<br />
<br />:1-2
<br />
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